Utilities initially managed data collected from meters that record customer consumption using databases that are part of the utility billing systems. Two decades ago, utilities began to implement specialized software that retrieved meter data remotely via a communications network, such as a telephone system. Such software typically has a database in which the metered usage data is stored; with a portion of the data forwarded to either the utility's billing system for billing of customers or its load research system for analysis. More recently, utilities have begun implementing “meter data management systems,” which are databases independent of the meter data collection system.
Meter data management systems implemented by the utilities receive meter data from the meter data collection system, validate the data, store the data in a repository, and forward the data to other systems, including billing, load research, and outage management. Existing meter data management systems are implemented through custom, point-to-point interfaces to the meter data collection system and to the utility systems receiving the data. Also, such systems are implemented via a set of applications, that perform manipulation of data before or after it is stored in the repository. In many meter data management systems, each application operates on its own, taking data from one source, manipulating it, and delivering it directly to its destination.
Any substantial change made to any element in the chain from data retrieval to delivery requires that each element of the chain be modified to reflect the modification in the changed element. As noted above, the various systems employed for conventional meter data management are not interoperable. The result is that this modification process can be cumbersome, and is performed by means of redundant interfaces that must be developed and maintained. Each of these interfaces may have its own operating and management requirements. It is therefore desirable to provide a meter information system with improved characteristics compared with existing approaches.